Selecting a
Subject for a Project or Report

1. Be sure that you
understand all of the requirements for the assignment.
Do not just assume
that they are the same as for a previous assignment. If there are
any parts of the instructions about which you are not positively clear, ask questions. Be careful
when asking other students, they may have also not understood.
When told that an assignment did not meet one of the requirements, to
say, "I didn't know", usually means, "I didn't bother to find out."2. Be certain that you
understand the range of acceptable subjects.
Make sure that the subject you choose
fits the requirement. If the assignment is in astronomy, a study
about fish is not likely to be accepted. Given the general
subject "science", a student brought in a current event about Hollywood
stars. When asked, "What does this have to do with science?" the
student said, "I don't know". So, no credit! Be ready to
explain why you think your subject is appropriate.3. Keep the area of your
subject small enough so that you can cover it with reasonably
completeness.
You may start out with a broad
area of interest, then as you learn more about it, narrow it down to
something you have time and ability to finish with overall completeness.4. Select a subject in
which you have at least a small amount of interest.
The more interested you are in
your subject, the easier it is to work on.5. Select a subject
which will allow you to demonstrate your highest level of ability.
In the 8th
grade, a student brought in a project which had gotten an A in 5th grade, and wondered why it didn't get an A
at the higher level.6. Have a second
choice subject ready in case you run into a serious problem with your
first choice. A student did a
project measuring the acidity of rain. During the time he had to
work on the project, there was no rain. He should have had a
backup.